| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
PMarione
Site Admin
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 883
|
 Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 8:35 pm Post subject: Tars |
 |
|
A new book that seems interesting: Tars: The Men Who Made Britain Rule the Waves, London:
Hodder & Stoughton, 2007 ISBN 978-0340898024
I have not read it yet so I copied the review:
| Quote: | | "Tars" is a gripping firsthand account of life in the Royal Navy at its bloodiest and most tempestuous phase, beginning in 1758. Through the lives of the main protagonists - a small band of sailors aboard HMS Monmouth - Trafalgar, author Tim Clayton paints a vivid picture of the navy and the era, from close-quarter battles and roistering on the streets of London to the political decisions that built up and knocked down empires. In this death-or-glory era the navy became the main weapon of an aggressive and power-hungry government, and fighting at sea was carried out at ever-closer quarters and with ever-increasing amounts of firepower. As the lives of the Monmouth's crew unfold we follow the ship of the line into raging battles in the ever-bloody war against France - and meet some of the great forgotten characters of the age, such as Lieutenant Augustus Hervey and his many romantic conquests. Using never-before published first-person sources, "Tars" takes us through these men's daily struggles as Britain for the first time ruled the waves. |
@+P |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Peter
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Posts: 105
Location: Gosport, Hampshire
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 10:28 am Post subject: |
|
|
I bought this book sometime ago, but I have only got to page 47, I hope to finish it one day. The cover has a picture of what looks like a Royal Marine male model, holding a spar for moving the gun. Not very authentic.
If you want to read an academic book that reads like a novel, get on the net to Amazon and purchase a copy of Storm and Conquest, The Battle for the Indian Ocean, 1809 by Stephen Taylor, (faber and faber, 2007).
What happened after Trafalgar? this book examines part of the story. What was the only sea battle the RN lost during the Napoleonic wars? The battle is inscribed on the Arc de Triumphe, well it would be if it is the only sea battle the French won. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PMarione
Site Admin
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 883
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 7:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks Peter: now we know what to buy.
@+P |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
